Welcome to Covered Storage, General Stores Material Division.  I had arrived, after a short conversation about what we did and what was expected of me I was assigned to my first Warehouse,. General Stores Materials Warehouse 11. I was also informed that because of a shortage of 2^nd Class Storekeepers I would be An E4 filling an E5 billet, I was to be Warehouse Supervisor. I asked how I came to be selected for this position and was informed that because of my service records I was the best choice for the position. So here I was a 20 year old SK3 in charge of a multimillion dollar facility. I was shown the way to my new warehouse where I was introduced to a salty old First Class Storekeeper, maybe 5’ 8” and 120 lbs if he had rocks in his pocket.  He was ready to return home and retire from the Navy.  He welcomed me aboard and we sat and talked to get to know each other. Soon he gave me the grand tour of my Kingdom. We had a 4 Bay Butler Building, with each bay maybe 60 feet X 75 yards long.  We had all types of electrical supplies, spools of cable, Plumbing and other types of hardware.

Besides the covered area we had a large area between the warehouse and the perimeter fence that we used for outside storage. And  yet more outside storage between us and Warehouse 12 to our east. Behind our warehouse was the Foremost dairy Milk reconstitution plant, where they took powdered milk and make milk and chocolate milk for the troops. I made friends there real quick.  The ware house staff consisted of Korean Nationals hired through Philco-Ford, and Vietnamese Nationals, plus one US Navy seaman apprentice, and Myself.  I learned the layout and the day to day operations and soon was on my own as warehouse supervisor.  I enjoyed working with the Koreans, all of them were former Republic of Korea (RoK) Marines, and very hard working and intelligent. We talked of the customs of our countries and our differences. The Koreans were very appreciative of the United States assistance during the Korean Conflict.  I also enjoyed learning from the Vietnamese.  I had one Papasan that was very friendly and we enjoyed playing around, then one day he failed to report for work, and as I inquired as to why I was informed that he was a North Vietnamese Major and was working there so he could obtain information for the enemy. After that I was skeptical of all the Vietnamese personal.  After a while even thought I had good control of my warehouse, they obtained enough E-5’s to make one of them Warehouse supervisor over me and make me Assistant Warehouse supervisor.  After being in charge this did not sit well with me and soon I was in trouble with the division hierarchy.   The supervisor of Warehouse 21 told them “Put him in my warehouse I will control him!” He was wrong, we fought constantly, which led to my first stint on depot security.  During my time in Whse 11 and 21 I made many contacts with other branches of the service and would assist them in obtaining what they required either through proper channels or through what we referred to as “trading” LOL.  The Navy frowned upon this activity even though everyone did it to some extent. 

     My memory on my timeline in Vietnam is foggy at best so I will do the best I can to get it written, but I will be telling events as I remember them not necessarily in the order they happened. My next blog will be on Red Alerts.   

  

Welcome to Da Nang Viet Nam, Republic of

We boarded a plane at Norton Air Force Base, near San Bernadino California, for a trip into the unknown. We had been through our training and now it was time to serve our country. This is what we joined for. We knew we would be in a relatively safe area but still we were going into a war zone. I remember landing in Hawaii at Hickam Air Force Base, and having fresh pineapple for a snack. It was wonderful, I was traveling on a charter flight of course full of members of all branches of the military, a few of us sat around and ate and talked until it was time to re-board. We made one more stop on the flight but I cannot remember where. And then there we were descending into what would be our home for the next 365 days. It was February 11, 1969 when we touched down at Da Nang Air Force Base, "Home of the "Gunfighters" aka the 366th Tactical Fighter Wing. We could see helicopters and F-4 Phantoms in their revetments. It was our first sight of "The War". After we disembarked the plane, representatives of US NSA Da Nang lead us to the Haze grey busses for our trip to Camp Tien Sha, this would be the home camp for many of us and others would be sent to one of the Detachments in I-Corp. The popular name for the 1st Corp Tactical Zone, one of the 4 zones South Vietnam was divided into. Most of the fighting in I-Corp was United States Marines under the control of Third Marine Amphibious Force, better known as III-MAF, which was headquartered in Da Nang. We were there to support the Marines of III-MAF, and other US and Allied Forces in the area

As we boarded the busses we noticed the wire screens on all the windows, and it was explained that this was to prevent the locals from throwing things like hand grenades into the busses. Welcome to Vietnam. The trip across the Da Nang River onto the Tien Sha Peninsula was uneventful, and we spent most of our time looking at the scenery and people. Riding their bicycles, hondas and their 3 wheeled lambretta vehicles. Conical bamboo hats on almost everyone.  Squatting down with hand rolled cigarettes hanging out of their mouths. We saw many water buffaloes, and could not help but notice that much of the building material was scrap crates and tin. Soon we arrived at our destination, Camp Tien Sha Vietnam, an old French encampment that had been converted by the Sea Bees into our base camp.

 Main Gate Camp Tien Sha Vietnam

       As we approached the camp we were unsure what to expect, I mean this was a war zone after all, but what we really did not expect were the rows of buildings, and the lawns surrounded by the little white picket fences.   We stopped in front of the Master-At-Arms office and exited the bus; we were placed in ranks and marched to the transit barracks that would be our residence while undergoing our indoctrination to Naval Support Activity Da Nang.  We were given directions to the Mess Hall and EM Club, and pretty much released until the next morning.  The transit barracks had bunks with 3 high beds and I would up on the top bunk. Early the next morning, the Red Alert siren sounded and I quickly jumped forgetting how high I was and hit the floor with a thud, got up and followed the rest to the bunker. We were lucky that night nothing happened, and soon the all clear sounded.

     The next day we started our indoctrination, classes about the same as we had been through in Coronado. Stay out of the local villages, treat the locals with respect, and so on. That night I was assigned to the Shore Patrol, my job was to stand at the back door of the 21 room at the club and when the sailors went to the head make sure none of the 18-20 year olds snuck back into the 21 room.  I had my painted helmet liner and duty belt, I was official yeah right.  I remember one individual, coming back from the head stopped and being shorter than I , looked up at me and remarked, “You look mean in that helmet!” I simply replied “I AM” and he went on his way.  At closing, many of the Shore Patrol were assigned to the “Drunk Busses”, escorting those very intoxicated folks back to places like the deep water piers, and Tien SHa Annex. We were there to break up fights and do crowd control. I had the DWP bus and there were no major problems.  I did that for a couple of nights before we received our placements into divisions. I was assigned to, General Stores Material Division, Covered Storage compound. We simply called it GSM. I was escorted to their barracks on Tien Sha and started meeting the shipmates that would be my family for the next year. The bulk of the barracks was open and shared by everyone from Seaman Apprentice, to Storekeeper Third Class. In the back half of the barracks were rooms for the 1^st and 2^nd Class Petty Officers, the Chiefs and Officers had their own sleeping areas elsewhere. I found an empty bunk and put my things away. I was home!

               Camp Tien Sha looking down from Monkey Mountain